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TAVISTOCK WELL-REPRESENTED PAGE Thursday,PAGE January 15, 2026 The Wilmot-Tavistock GazetteBRAVES PLAYER SHINES AT AT SOUPS ON ALL-STAR GAME
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The Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette Serving New Hamburg, Tavistock, Baden, Wellesley, New Dundee, St. Agatha, Shakespeare, Petersburg, Hickson, Punkeydoodle’s Corner and area
SINCE 1895
FREE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2026
WRCLS expands access to justice with rural mobile legal clinics AMANDA NELSON Gazette Reporter
professional services firms, and the mayor decided to hire the company in part due to a shortage of township staff and the lack of a chartered professional accountant on the payroll. Wilmot has seen some steep tax hikes
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS) is once again offering rural mobile legal clinics to support residents in Wellesley and Wilmot townships. The free clinics will be held monthly at the Wilmot and Wellesley Resource Centre, located at 175 Waterloo St., Unit 1, in New Hamburg, from 9 a.m. to noon. WRCLS provides the rural mobile legal clinics as part of its ongoing commitment to improving access to justice for residents living in rural areas of Waterloo Region who may face barriers in accessing legal help. “We aim to offer support to everyone living in the Region of Waterloo, and we just weren’t reaching folks in the rural areas,” said Angie Pham, community development worker at WRCLS. “This initiative allows us to cover communities that were previously missing.” The 2026 clinic schedule has now been finalized, and community members can book free and confidential 30-minute appointments with a legal professional. The clinics provide free legal information and summary advice, assistance navigating legal systems and processes, and referrals to appropriate legal and community resources. Services are intended for individuals with low incomes who have difficulty accessing legal
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(GARY WEST PHOTO)
Fair Ambassador Claire Koch speaks to students at North Easthope Public School about staying safe around large animals, emphasizing proper fencing and extra caution when animals have newborns, during a hands-on farm safety presentation led alongside Junior Fair Ambassador Chloe Scott that taught students practical lessons on animal awareness, machinery hazards and overall farm safety. Full story and more photos found on page 11.
Salonen tables 2026 Wilmot Township budget
Proposed tax hike comes in at just under 10% LEE GRIFFI Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Mayor Natasha Salonen has tabled Wilmot Township’s 2026 budget, and if passed as is, ratepayers would see a 9.7 per-cent increase in their property tax
bill. Using her strong-mayor powers, Salonen appointed a consultant to lead development of the budget and long-term financial plan in collaboration with council, staff and KPMG financial experts. KPMG is one of the world’s largest
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